Summary :
In a very real way, this book culminates and affirms the vision of Ethel R. Lawrence, who was a founding member of the 1960s-era Springville Community Action Committee of South Jersey and lead plaintiff in the case of South Burlington County NAACP et al. v. Mount Laurel Township et al. This case produced the landmark State Supreme Court decision establishing the “Mount Laurel Doctrine” within the State of New Jersey. Not only did the decision clearly articulate an “affirmative obligation” on the part of each municipality to accommodate its “fair share” of the regional need for affordable housing, it also provided a model for affordable housing litigation and development elsewhere, and offered an inspiration to fair housing advocates throughout the country. Throughout her life, Ethel Lawrence steadfastly defended the right of people to live in whatever community they wished irrespective of color or economic status, and she staunchly believed in the virtues of promoting greater racial and class integration for the benefit of all citizens, not just the poor and the disenfranchised. This book vindicates the vision of Ethel Lawrence and we are honored to dedicate it to her memory. Although she began working to bring affordable housing to Mount Laurel Township in 1967, and her right to do so was affirmed by the State Supreme Court in 1975 and 1983, the affordable housing development that now bears her name did not open its doors until November 2000, six years after she died. Moreover, until now it has been difficult to assess what effect the opening of the Ethel R. Lawrence Homes had on tenants, neighbors, and township residents, either to vindicate or challenge her original vision of integration and inclusion. In this book we describe the organization, implementation, and results of a special data collection effort implemented in 2009–2010 to achieve these goals. The “Monitoring Mount Laurel Study” was funded by a generous grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (Grant No.08-92834-000-HCD) whose purpose was to assess how the opening of the Ethel Lawrence Homes affected the surrounding community and the lives of project residents.